


The Spider's Last Stand

by theoneandonlybunny



Category: Daredevil (2003), Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, Peter-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoneandonlybunny/pseuds/theoneandonlybunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter Parker is not a man to go out losing a mental battle to stay in his own mind. He is a hero in life, and he will be in death, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Spider's Last Stand

**Author's Note:**

> This is heavily based on the relationship Peter and Clint have in my RP group, where Clint was assigned to be Peter's Handler after Clint's cover was blown and Peter joined up with the Avengers sometime after the conclusion of the Amazing Spider-Man movie. Also has mentions of a few of Peter's other friends in the comics.

Peter knew what was going to happen when the conducting gem started going haywire. The sorcerer had lost control over his own powers. The gem needed to be disabled, and no one could get close enough to knock it off its base.

No one, that was, but him.

Because Captain America and Iron Man were both tied up, fighting for their lives, and Hawkeye was out of arrows. Because Thor was busy trying to get the power shut off at the base. Because if Peter could build up enough force, he could swing in and completely avoid the ground barrier.

Matt’s words rang in his ears. ‘There’s no point in being a martyr. You leave that for someone else to do.’

This wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone against what an older superhero told him to do, but Peter realized it might just be the last.

Clint could see what was happening. He knew what Peter was going to try to pull as soon as he saw Peter gaining speed, and he started yelling out to the boy, screaming obscenities about how the boy would be in so much trouble when he got finished, and Peter just smiled and gave a brief, weak laugh as he aimed himself at the gem. Clint ran towards Peter as the young man jumped off the steel beam. He only had one shot.

He only needed one shot.

As soon as Peter knocked the gem out, the spell ended.

But Peter was a scientist. His life at least attempted to obey scientific laws. And one such law was very unforgiving.

‘For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction.’

Peter hit the ground as his insides began to scream. The pain was unbearable, and he began to convulse and then curl up into himself, weakly moaning as he did. The other superheroes ran towards him, but not a one of them dreamed that their youngest companion could be saved. Clint got there first. He knelt down beside the young hero.

“Dammit, Parker, you dumbass.”

Peter managed a weak smile for a second.

“You know, MJ was looking forward to seeing us all at her play Saturday. That meant you too, kid.”

Clint’s voice was as soft as the man could go. He’d trained Peter, taught him how to walk and talk and think like an Avenger, taken him all over the world, put the teen and then young man through so much hell that they’d both lost count, and now the job had stolen him, just as it had stolen so many others in their line of work.

Peter’s gaze was unfocused. He heard the other superheroes around him, heard Tony touch down and heard the click of Natasha’s heels, but he was too busy looking over Clint’s shoulders. He saw Gwen, and Uncle Ben, and Captain Stacy, and they weren’t mad at him. They looked proud.

“Take… take care of MJ, will ya? An-and Aunt May too. Both of them.”

“Tell ‘em yourself, Parker. Think we’re leaving your ass here? You’re comin’ home, and I’ll let those two chew you out for that little stunt you pulled.”

There was a soft laugh, even though the web-head was curled up tight.

“Thanks, Clint.”

Clint grabbed the front of the tattered red-and-blue uniform and shook the boy, trying to distill a few more moments with him, but it was too late. The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man had passed from the world.

“Come on, Peter, don’t just fucking clock out on me like that!”

Natasha placed a hand on her partner’s shoulder, and he hung his head, clenching his fists in the fabric. The whole unfairness of the situation screamed at him. Peter had been an honest-to-goodness hero, the type that wasn’t found anymore. He was a good kid. He shouldn’t have had to make the sacrifice play.

But he did, because that’s what heroes do.

Peter’s body had an honor guard from the time the Avengers picked it up from the ground to the time they put him in the ground.

All of the heroes – both of New York and those protecting other places – came out to see his funeral. At first, the Avengers wanted it to be a simple affair, but then stories began to pour out from everywhere and everyone. In the brief years of being a superhero, Spider-Man had touched everyone. Hero and civilian, people came out to put him to rest. It seemed even the villains took a day to respect him.

And Peter’s friends, the few who could really call themselves Peter’s confidants, hated the entire thing.

Johnny Storm flew out of the country that day. He didn’t come home for a while.

Matt Murdock patrolled Hell’s Kitchen, looking for an excuse to hurt something and not finding anything.

MJ went to the funeral, seated in the front row, and held tightly to May Parker as they both watched the community honor Peter in death the way he’d never been honored in life.

And Clint Barton found a small, secluded bar, and listened to the coverage, and drank a toast, because it was too quiet without Peter’s chatter, and the silence bugged him.


End file.
